Palin, Patriotism and Perfection: Sure, if one loves utterly empty-headed mindless blather hiding behind the national anthem and the American flag, Sarah know-nothing and say-nothing Palin is your candidate of choice. I have more qualifications to be president than she and I have none.
That cerebrally vapid, vacuous and meaningless blabbering she utters is responsible for the domestic and international catastrophes we find ourselves in today. The trillion buck debt she talks about was ushered in by her party. Her bridge to nowhere was accepted by her before it was rejected but she kept the money anyway and built a road to nowhere. She is a hypocrite supreme. As long as she says things we love to hear, though, and she looks great saying them she'll get some ardent fans. Could we think for 1 and 1/2 seconds before accepting everything someone says because it sounds and makes us feel oh so good?
Some like her because they don't like to self reflect and critically examine the history and policy of this country. They want the country to be Leave it to Beaver land. Well, reality speaks. The country is not Leave it to Beaver land and it never was. It surely never was if one was black or Indian or female living a second class citizen life for centuries. Maybe patriotism is tinged with a bit more cynicism when those of us who understand history really examine its substance and objectively look at its truth without all the soothing glitter.
If one looks at Sarah Palin and John McCain's audiences they are nearly all older and white. This country, though, is changing its hue and I suspect that group does not like what it sees. So Sarah Palin's rhetoric calms their palpitating hearts and makes them feel so much better. Sure cotton candy looks so good but in truth its empty calories are bad for you. Patriotism without critical reflection is easy but it is distinctly toxic as it values mindless superficialities over substantive analysis. The right wing patriotic supremes had their chance for the past eight years. Their imperfect platitudinous policies are why we are in the mess we are in, that is why picture perfect Palin will not prevail, and that is why Barack Obama with a new kind of patriotism will win in November!
